A couple of months ago I attended a fundraising seminar. The speaker, Kim Klein, an expert in grassroots fundraising, stated that most people give because they’re asked to give.

Really? It’s that simple? (Simple, I said. Not easy.)

Playing the skeptic, I wanted first-hand knowledge of why givers give. So I posed this question to several of my LinkedIn groups: “What motivated you to make your most recent donation?” Sure enough, a personal invitation to donate to a friend or relative’s pet cause (and no, I’m not just referring to the Animal Humane Society) was the most commonly mentioned motivator.

But the responses proved that other factors came into play, too: commitment to the cause’s mission, ready access to goods to be donated, compassion in the face of crisis or disaster, easy online donation, a desire to make the world a better place, to emulate a generous role model – or even, to be that role model.

The take-away for donors is that we should follow our hearts, but also research the organizations and develop a long-term giving strategy.

And for nonprofits it’s that multiple approaches should be used to develop a solid donor base. But don’t assume your cause message is enough to generate fulfillment. Include the call to action and always ask for the donation.

The LinkedIn responses to my question were by no means a scientific study. Yet they were rich, well-thought-out and varied, and I’d like to share a few with you:

“My son prompted our last few contributions. He is in kindergarten and had a lot of questions about Haiti and a child’s photo he saw raising awareness about The Smile Train. We were affected by hearing his view of things.” - L.O.

“A friend who has MS asked me for a contribution. Her husband also asked for a contribution; they were both participating in the MS Walk.” – A.B.

“The last two donations I made because people I knew requested them. One was even for a cause in which I don’t support, but I do support my friend and understand the synergy of reciprocal giving. You cannot underestimate the power of personal contact.” – K.L.

“Normally I give to friends’ endeavors, whether they are walking to raise awareness or starting their own theatre company. That personal piece is huge.” – M.C.

“…I’m committed to the cause.”

“I just gave $200 to the Phoenix Theatre Company. A friend of mine is on the board, and he took my wife and me to one of the group’s fund-raising events. We believe in the cause we gave to, which puts high school students in touch with the theater company and other venues for the arts in Phoenix. So, it was a combination of a personal invitation and being impressed by the cause.” – P.F.

“Most of my donations over the past several months have been to organizations involved in aiding the victims of the earthquake in Haiti and … in the Tibetan region of China. I am a regular supporter of Doctors Without Borders, so I increased my donation to them. I also saw a piece on the work Sean Penn is doing in Haiti and donated to his organization.” – L.Y.

“…I followed someone’s example.”

“My 12-year-old son used his gift money to purchase a book at the local book store for a children’s hospital book drive. When I asked him what motivated him to do that he said he watched someone in front of him do it.” – B.Z.

“…I have the resources to donate goods/time.”

“I frequently donate small amounts to charities due to personal connections…someone I know is involved in the cause (Humane Society Walk for Animals, MS bike-a-thon, Walk for the Cure, collecting for American Lung Assoc.) OR charities where I can donate stuff (clothing, household items, box tops and soup labels, hand-made items for auction). I’m actually more likely to give to these types of charities than to donate to organizations (colleges, hospitals) where I would like to make donations but hold back because I feel like a donation of less than $100 would be too pathetic.” – T.B.

“I’m a big fan of ARC’s Value Village (great second-hand store, and supports people with developmental disabilities), volunteer a lot of time at WomenVenture (LOVE helping women succeed and get ahead in life), and recently co-hosted an accessories exchange party with some girlfriends, with all of the extra accessories donated to the new local chapter of Dress for Success.” – K.W.

“…I responded spontaneously.”

“It has a lot to do for me with impulse. If the timing is just right, I’m likely to give to a random organization that has a compelling mission.” – J.L.

“…I already volunteer with the organization.”

“After losing my job last year, I made a decision to give of my time more – but still find myself making financial contributions to the place for which I volunteer as well – as being involved helps me to understand their need even more.” – T.W.

“…I want to change the world for the better.”

“I tend to give of time and financial resources to efforts that are focused on change that is both fundamental to the whole person and that is sustainable.” – M.C.

“My tag line and the way I think about giving is – leveraging human and economic resources for the common good.” – L.H.

“Most of my donations go to organizations that I believe are making important improvements in our world. Some of these improvements are taking place at more basic levels (access to food and shelter) while others are more involved (medical research).” – D.B.

“…it was part of my giving strategy.”

“Yes, we have a ‘strategy’ about our giving – giving to the causes that we believe in and that hopefully make this a better world. We also leave a percentage of our dollars for causes that we know will come up throughout the year such as fundraisers and walk-a-thons and that sort of thing.” – J.T.

“…I seek to alleviate pain.”

“A single woman who lost her job and had no health insurance was diagnosed with cancer. I attended a fundraiser for her.” – P.L.

“I guess in all events I attempt to tie giving to the ongoing effort of removing pain in all its forms. All of us, all around the world, have felt the rug pulled out from under ourselves…. I contribute my resources, time and effort to things that allow us to weave bigger rugs under each other…. When I position my heart, mind and effort to removing pain I stop being concerned with idealism, I just try to keep weaving rugs and sometimes I notice someone is weaving on mine.” – D.K.

Howdy LuAnne. Before I worked at Priority I was a fundraiser for 5 years. Well that was one of the many hats I had as a youth worker. But asking people for money was just like asking for the sale. If you don’t ask, you don’t get it.

Anyway, thanks for your insight. I love this blog. I’ve been out of the marketing conversations online for a while and spending most of my creativity on music rather than business.

But now, it’s time to start making money at the music. So here I am, to learn and rub shoulders with some of the best marketers around. Like you.

Thanks for the uplifting comments, JD! It serves as inspiration for me to get back to blogging.

And for any of my readers who want to discover a truly gifted, refreshing, talented musician, singer and songwriter, check out JD Valerio’s work. His latest CD, Hot Apple Cider, is inspired. Visit his site: http://www.jdvalerio.com/